Investment Partnerships

Our ability to apply this model to a wide selection of local authority and housing association partners is evidence of its flexibility to deliver value.

We now have six partnerships each with varying development programmes, including city centre development such as Basingstoke with Sovereign Network Group (SNG) and Aldershot with Rushmoor Borough Council, and suburban residential developments for district council partner South Cambridgeshire.

We were selected by Harlow Council to form a new public-private partnership to deliver town centre and major housing regeneration in Harlow, Essex.

The Harlow Regeneration Partnership LLP (HRP) is an equal partnership that will bring forward underused land for the development of council-owned homes as well as areas of the town centre requiring regeneration.

Shortly after the formation of HRP, we received unanimous approval from Harlow’s Development Management Committee for the redevelopment of the former Lister House site in Staple Tye, becoming the first homes to be delivered by the partnership.

The development, which began on site in early 2024, comprises 24 apartments with commercial space on the ground floor.

Cllr Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council.

We were selected by Sovereign Network Group (SNG), one of England’s largest housing associations, as its partner for an ambitious placemaking-focused strategic investment partnership to renew areas of the company’s portfolio over the next decade.

As part of the agreement, we formed the Sovereign Hill Partnership LLP (SHP), an equal, limited liability partnership created to regenerate urban brownfield sites. Working closely with current residents, SHP aims to create vibrant new places with successful local economies, providing jobs and learning opportunities in conjunction with wider environmental, health, and social benefits.

With placemaking and sustainable design at the heart of both organisations’ values, one of the partnership’s key objectives will be revitalising the communities of Buckskin and South Ham, located to the west of Basingstoke town centre.

Tom Titherington, Chief Investment and Development Officer at SNG, said:

We began our third new Investment Partnership with Gravesham Borough Council to build new affordable homes in the Borough. The Gravesham Community Investment Partnership (GCIP) is a community-focused vehicle created to develop sites for new council-owned homes to help reduce the area’s housing register.

We are also donating eight SoloHaus homes to the council, to tackle homelessness in the area as a part of our Foundation 200 initiative.

Cllr John Burden, Leader of Gravesham Council said:

CIP completed its first Passivhaus-accredited council homes at three developments: Fen Road, Borrowdale, and Ditton Fields. The milestone achievement, totalling 21 sustainable new homes, was marked at Fen Road with the planting of a tree by guests from Homes England, local Councillors, and members of the CIP team.

The three developments were part of funding agreements with Homes England to provide new council homes across the city aimed at people on low or middle incomes.

Cllr Gerri Bird, Executive Councillor for Housing and Homelessness at Cambridge City Council and CIP board member, said:

The houses are highly energy efficient, with ultra-low energy consumption and good air quality, providing residents with secure, sustainable homes fit for the future.

The Passivhaus design features air-source heat pumps, enhanced insulation, and triple-glazed windows that will improve thermal and acoustic performance. Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) Passivhaus-certified systems provide supreme air quality, filtering the air regularly, resulting in better health and wellbeing for residents.

Solar panels feed renewable energy directly into each home, further helping to reduce the energy costs for residents. The houses in each development have also been oriented to maximise the sunlight throughout the day and enhance energy performance.

Her Majesty The Queen, visited the Meadows Community Centre to celebrate its volunteers, particularly those working for the Royal Voluntary Service at the centre’s café.

Among the guests joining Her Majesty were Julie Spence OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Cllr Jenny Gawthrope Wood, Mayor of Cambridge, Cllr Gerri Bird, Executive Councillor for Housing and Homelessness, Tom Hill, Managing Director at Hill, and the Meadows Community Centre staff.

Celebrities Tasha Ghouri and Johannes Radebe and Royal Voluntary Service Supporters, led ballroom and tap-dancing lessons, which Her Majesty enjoyed alongside the volunteers and guests.

As part of the development 28 one and two-bedroom council-rent apartments will be delivered at Buchan Street, while a total of 78 one and two-bedroom apartments for council rent will be delivered at The Meadows.

The modern, highly sustainable community hub, which forms part of The Meadows and Buchan Street development, was completed along with the first phase of new social rent homes.

The council-run centre replaced two ageing community centres that had become inadequate.

Located adjacent to open space and a public plaza, the new community hub includes a family centre, a youth wing, a café, a double-height hall, a pre-school, and bookable meeting rooms.

In a year where we celebrated the seventh anniversary of the formation of CIP, we also marked the completion of the partnership’s landmark, mixed-tenure development, Ironworks. Situated on the popular Mill Road near the city centre, CIP transformed the site of the former Eagle Foundry and latterly the council depot, into a brand new, sustainable neighbourhood.

Ironworks features 236 contemporary new homes, including 118 council homes, along with a new highly-sustainable community centre, commercial spaces, and almost 30% public open space, including new parks.

Sustainability is an integral part of the development and the energy strategy was revised to incorporate additional measures, such as increased cavity wall insulation thickness (to reduce energy consumption) and renewable technology, including mechanical heat recovery, photovoltaics, and green roofs.

The wider development has almost 30% green open space incorporating a new on-site neighbourhood park, Eagle Park, which features a large play area and rainwater gardens. The development is also future proofed with electric vehicle charging points and ample cycle parking.

CIP’s Orchard Park completed in March 2024 with Homes England joining with the partnership to celebrate the handover of 75 new affordable homes. Completing our 12th CIP development, we also handed over 75 new affordable homes to Cambridge Council at Campkin Road.

With development ongoing around the city, we reached a series of significant milestones breaking ground at St Edith’s way, a development of eight low-carbon homes and at Aylesborough Close, a development of 70 low-carbon homes. CIP also topped out at the latest phase of development at Colville Road, where 48 new council-rented homes are being delivered.

In October 2023, we held a ribbon-cutting event to officially mark the naming of Nigel Gawthrope Court on Akeman Street, with Cllr Jenny Gawthrope Wood and Nigel’s brother Nick in attendance along with other members of the Gawthrope family, councillors from across the council and members of the CIP team.

The development replaced an ageing building with 14 new council homes, comprising eight one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom maisonettes, along with three retail units and a new community centre.

67 brand new sustainable council apartments and houses have been handed over to residents at CIP’s latest development, Colville Road Phase 2, in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge.

The development forms part of a two-phase masterplan to bring much-needed council homes to the area and help tackle the acute housing crisis in the city. Originally two housing blocks containing 24 post-war ageing council homes, the development has been designed to revitalise and integrate with the community and improve on existing local connections.

Our partnership with South Cambridgeshire District Council, the South Cambridgeshire Investment Partnership (SCIP), received planning approval for the development of 256 new low-carbon homes in Cambourne, of which 102 will be affordable.

The 9.64-hectare residential development, located beside Cambourne Business Park, will incorporate a range of community amenities, including a café, public open spaces, and abundant green space and play areas.

Representing the first to be delivered by the partnership, the development will feature a diverse range of residential properties and of the 102 affordable homes, 72 will be built according to Passivhaus principles and allocated for affordable rent.

The remaining 30 homes will be available for purchase through shared ownership.

The decision by the Council’s Planning Committee on 17th January 2024 follows a comprehensive dialogue between SCIP and residents.

Richard Stobart, South Cambridgeshire District Councillor and SCIP board member said: 

In 2023, our partnership with Rushmoor Borough Council, the Rushmoor Development Partnership (RDP) was granted outline planning for our second project, the Civic Quarter, an ambitious project to revitalise the town centre of Farnborough in Surrey.

The regeneration includes the construction of up to 960 energy-efficient homes, a new civic hub, and a leisure centre, representing an integral part of the council’s endeavours to leave behind a positive legacy for the community’s health and wellbeing.

The development will eventually incorporate a 200-bed hotel, a new library, community area, commercial space on the ground floor, and active frontages.

A short distance from Farnborough, we celebrated reaching a major milestone in the RDP’s first project, the redevelopment of Aldershot town centre. Having reached the highest point of the build, we gathered with our partners on site to celebrate topping out at Union Yard. Here, we were joined by the mayor and local councillors to officially mark the completion of one of the building’s concrete structures.